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Many of the causes of amphibian declines are well understood, and appear to affect other groups of organisms as well as amphibians. These causes include habitat modification and fragmentation, introduced predators or competitors, introduced species, pollution, pesticide use, or over-harvesting. However, many amphibian declines or extinctions ...
Additionally, 1193 amphibian species (16.4% of those evaluated) are listed as data deficient, meaning there is insufficient information for a full assessment of conservation status. As these species typically have small distributions and/or populations, they are intrinsically likely to be threatened, according to the IUCN. [ 3 ]
The largest living amphibian is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) [41] but this is a great deal smaller than the largest amphibian that ever existed—the extinct 9 m (30 ft) Prionosuchus, a crocodile-like temnospondyl dating to 270 million years ago from the middle Permian of Brazil. [42]
Otherwise known as the giant ditch frog, the amphibian is one of the largest frogs in the world, weighing in at over 2 pounds (almost 1 kilogram) with a length of up to 8 inches. At night, the ...
A recently described second species, B. salamandrivorans, also causes chytridiomycosis and death in salamanders. The fungal pathogens that cause the disease chytridiomycosis are known to damage the skin of frogs, toads, and other amphibians, disrupting their balance of water and salt and eventually causing heart failure, Nature reports. [4]
Most amphibian species are also threatened by native habitat loss, [41] and some species are now only breeding in modified habitat. [42] Endemic organisms with limited ranges are most affected by habitat destruction, mainly because these organisms are not found anywhere else in the world, and thus have less chance of recovering.
Prehistoric amphibians of Africa (3 C, 2 P) A. Amphibians of Seychelles (9 P) M. Amphibians of Mauritius (3 P) N. Amphibians of North Africa (14 P) S.
Of all evaluated amphibian species, 10% are listed as vulnerable. No subpopulations of amphibians have been evaluated by the IUCN. For a species to be assessed as vulnerable to extinction the best available evidence must meet quantitative criteria set by the IUCN designed to reflect "a high risk of extinction in the wild".